


Belong

by Evvy96



Series: Avengers x Reader Stories [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Lovers, Not-quite-friends, Torture, Yelling, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-09 22:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16458185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evvy96/pseuds/Evvy96
Summary: *This happens after the events of Age Of Ultron**Swearing**Violence and Mild Gore*





	Belong

y/n=your name  
e/c=eye colour  
l/n=last name  
s/c=skin colour  
n/n=nickname

*This happens after the events of Age Of Ultron*  
*Swearing*  
*Violence and Mild Gore*

“You put everyone in danger!'  
“I saved your ass! The only person in danger was the idiot HYDRA agent who thought sneaking up behind Captain America when he doesn’t have someone right on his six was a good idea. You’d think they would have learnt, the amount of times I’ve kicked their asses based off just that train of thought.”  
“That is  _not_  the point (y/n). I’m grateful you covered my six when I lost my concentration, but the way you did it was irresponsible and if the team had lost you the mission would have been pointless and we  _all_  would have been compromised.”

“Oh my God, are they still going at each other’s throats? We got back from the mission like 5 hours ago and they started before we even left the HYDRA bunker.” Clint whined as he walked from the kitchen to the common room, a tray of hot chocolate held in front of him for the rest of the Avengers to grab a mug. It was tradition for the team to gather in the common room of the Tower and watch a movie together after a mission, like a de-stressing exercise of sorts. Each person took their turns choosing a movie, and tonight was (y/n)’s. Being a lover of both Disney and Musicals, she had chosen a classic that was loved by everyone on the team, Pinocchio. But instead of being curled up on the couch wedged between Tony and Natasha – her usual spot – she was in the middle of a screaming match with Captain Steve Rogers over the results of the mission in question. (Y/n) had jumped in front of a shot a HYDRA agent had sent when Steve’s back was turned. She had come away unharmed of course, her power creation ability generating a force field with milliseconds to spare, but Steve had lost his cool the moment the mission had ended and they had boarded the Quinjet to return to New York. The pair had been arguing back and forth for almost 7 hours, with short breaks in between for (y/n) to rest from the amount of energy she had used to reach Steve’s back and generate her shield. The team listened to them ramble on, occasionally rolling their eyes and huffing out a frustrated sigh.  
“(Y/n)’s too proud to admit her feelings, she think Cap hates her, so she covers up the hurt by being snippy and fighting back when he tells her off.” Natasha explained as she made her way to Bruce’s side.  
“Ha! That’s funny. Steve is exactly the same. Fights with her all day but our morning runs are filled with how much he just wished where they went wrong and if I think she could ever actually like him.” Sam laughed.

“The sooner they stop covering up their feelings with arguments, the sooner this stupid headache goes away.” Tony piped up his place of the couch, a cold cloth pressed to his head. “How are you not even the lightest shade of green, Banner? Surely the Big Guy has had enough of their little dance, right.”  
Bruce grunted from across the room in his armchair, one arm around Nat as she snuggled into his side and rested her head against his shoulder. “I have an amazing girlfriend to give me a reason to stay calm, and Wanda is keeping the Other Guy at bay.” He shot the newest member of the team a small smile and a wink, making her giggle softly and Tony stare at her with a look of offense. “Oh come  _on_  Maximoff. I’m dying over here. Help a guy out.”  
“I am. I’m helping everyone stay safe by keeping Bruce’s alter ego away from the light. You got a nasty knock to the head from Tash cause you were being an idiot on the ride back. You deserve what you get for trying to poke the bear under Banner’s skin.” Wanda smirked as Tony rolled his eyes and groaned, emitting a chuckle from Natasha and a chortle from Sam and Rhodey.

The relatively peaceful moment was short lived, as (y/n) and Steve had moved their screaming match to the common room where they all sat. Everyone’s attention was directed towards them, not wanting to miss a moment. They all had a feeling something was about to go wrong, and they needed to be completely alert for who they’ll need to chew out for it.

“I’m putting you on desk duty for the next three missions. I don’t care how long it takes for those three missions to happen, you don’t get to be on the team for three of them. I’m sick of you thinking you can get away with going against my plans just because you can create whatever power you want.”  
“Jesus Christ Rogers!” (y/n) shouted, waving her arms out to emphasise how exhausted she was just by being near him, “What is your problem?”  
“My problem is that you don’t belong here! You’re not fit to be an Avenger and I honestly don’t know what Fury was thinking when he put you on the team!” There it was. The big stuff up. The team watched as (y/n)’s eyes widened in shock for a few moments, before the (e/c) orbs hardened and her whole figure stiffened. “ _Fine_! You know what? I’m  _done_! I joined this team because I believed I would be making a difference in the world, but I  _refuse_  to stay somewhere I’m not valued and treated like this every other day. Good luck saving your own ass next time you’re not paying attention on a mission! I’m going on my mission in two days and when I get back, I’ll pack up my things and be out of here before you even know I’ve been back!  _I QUIT_!”  
With those words, (y/n) turned away from Steve and made her way to the elevator.  
“I’m sorry? Were my orders not clear? You’re not going on the next 3 missions (l/n). You might as well start packing up now.”  
“I just quit you asshole! You’re not my Captain anymore, I don’t have to take  _any_  orders from you. And this mission was assigned to me by Fury, so you wouldn’t have a say in that even if you wanted to! Butt out Rogers!”

When the elevator had disappeared from sight, taking an extremely pissed off SunStar with it, Steve turned and noticed the room full of his other team mates, each and every one of them sending him an Icecap Melting glare.  
“What the actual fuck Capsicle?” Tony asked casually, “Did you seriously just cost us a teammate cause she saved your butt  _again_?”  
The reality of the situation sunk in with Steve, his eyes widening and his face paling. “Oh God, what did I just do? She’s gonna leave me- I mean us. What have I done? I-I need to go talk to her. Apologise, tell her not to leave-“  
“Don’t you even think about it Rogers!” Natasha interrupted, “You just broke that woman’s heart and basically sent her packing. Not only is now the wrong time to try and talk to her, but I will not hesitate to castrate if you go anywhere near her until she comes back from her mission. She needs time to cool off, and you need time to think about how your stubbornness and pride got in the way of the best thing you could ever have had. Don’t even think about giving me bullshit about how you don’t know what I’m talking about, I know how you feel about her and let me tell you, she feels the same way. Well, I don’t know if that’s true now, since you’ve just crushed her spirit, but you would have had a real shot, even just five minutes ago.” With those words hanging in the air, she strode over to the elevator, summoning it back down to go and check on her friend, Wanda silently joining her.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a month since that night, and (y/n) was strolling through the halls of the HYDRA base Fury had assigned her to infiltrate. She had refused to let Tash and Wanda in her room whilst she had packed for the mission, knowing they would try to convince her to go talk to Steve before she left. She had kept in contact with them if she had the chance; a quick phone call to check up on everyone, see how the boys were doing. The mission had been going well, her reports were providing SHIELD with a great deal of previously unknown intel, building a steady file of all HYDRA’s plans and base schematics.

Today, something was different, all of the senior officers talking about a weapon being taken out for a special mission. (Y/n) had managed to eavesdrop on a conversation, her eyes widening and her heart stopping at what she heard.  
“When will they bring him out of cryo? I want to be able to watch him kill that Spangly good-for-nothing.” Steve. Oh God not again.  
“They pulled him out this morning. He’s been fighting the brain wash, so they’re still trying to wipe him so we don’t have a repeat of last time. The Soldier hasn’t been complying ever since his last encounter with the Captain. He keeps remembering little things that piece together and gives him a reason to fight. We lost 5 agents when we tried to put him under last time.” Bucky was fighting. This was a good sign. It meant he was remembering Steve and would need help seeking him out. (Y/n) slunk away from the guards and made her way to the room HYDRA usually did their mind wiping. Sure enough, there was Bucky, metal arm strapped into a clamp and strapped to a device as he struggled to pull himself away from the scientists rushing around him. Thinking on her feet, she opened the door and strode in, switching to the commander persona she carried when she was around HYDRA followers.  
“I’ve been instructed by Rumlow to take the Soldier to another facility. We have a more advanced machine that may assist in the wipe.”  
The scientists didn’t question her, releasing Bucky from his restraints and cuffing his hands behind his back for transportation. When they handed him over, (y/n) made quick work of making a swift exit through the front doors to her motorcycle. Bucky hadn’t struggled, and (y/n) held on to the hope that he remembered her from their encounter a few months ago and knew she was trying to help him.

As she was un-cuffing Bucky’s hands, a siren blared throughout the clearing where the HYDRA base was located. Agents were flooding out of the exits and searching the grounds, and (y/n) caught sight of a small group led by Rumlow himself heading their way. She quickly input the address for the Avengers Training Base and gave Bucky a basic education as to how to operate the bike. “I’m going to hold them off as long as I can and give you a head start. Go to the address I’ve put in, follow the voice that will tell you where to go. Find Steve when you get there and tell him what happened, say that (y/n) sent you. Come back and find me  _only_  when you have the whole team with you. Tell them I said that’s an order. Good luck.” With those words, Bucky nodded silently and sped off toward the trees. He paused his escape to look back and watch as (y/n) managed to get a few good hits in with the agents surrounding her before Rumlow fires a small device at her, halting her movements instantly and sending her into unconsciousness. Her frame was carefully picked up by the agent standing by Rumlow and the man appeared to chuckle before instructing them to bring her back to the base. At this, Bucky was filled with worry. He knew what kind of man Rumlow was and feared for what would happen if he didn’t get to Steve in time. He turned back to the path and sped away from the base, hoping to whatever higher power was out there that (y/n) would be okay until he could get to his best friend.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When (y/n) awoke, she thought she was in a room with no light. Upon further inspection, she found she had a piece of cloth covering her eyes and her arms were tied behind her back, her legs tied together then pulled tight between the chair legs to prevent any movement. She attempted to flex her wrists, earning her only a painful tug from the rough rope that cut into her skin and an uncomfortable whimper to escape her lips.

At this sound, the cloth around her eyes was lifted away, causing her to blink from the harsh light suddenly entering her vision. When her eyes adjusted, she came face to face with Rumlow once again, and smug smirk on his face as he leant against the table behind him.  
“SunStar, I wonder how I did not recognise you sooner. You’re the only agent that has managed to evenly match me in a fight, and thus far the only one to beat me in one. You’d think I’d remember such a face.”  
“Well, you were never known for your intelligence Brock. I’m not surprised to be honest.”

That comment earned her a sharp slap to the face, snapping her head to the side with such ferocity it was a surprise she did not suffer from whiplash.  
“Where are the Avengers? Where is their new base?” Rumlow demanded, his hand poised to deliver another slap.  
“Sorry. Couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to. You see, I quit that team, didn’t really fit right for me, ya know? Left before I could get too attached to anyone.” Straight out lie. She had grown attached to everyone in that team, formed a special friendship with everyone, except the one she had really wanted to. Steve only saw her as an annoyance, meaning she didn’t get the chance to form anything special with him, though Hell she had wanted to.  
“I think we both know you’re lying agent. You see, the reason we finally figured out who you really were, was because of a little bit of research we did on you. Such a special friendship with that Assassin and the freak from our labs. And Captain America, well, that’s a whole different level of discussion isn’t it?”  
(Y/n)’s blood ran cold. He had her, trapped in her own words, and her own world about her regrets regarding Steve.  
“Aha, struck a nerve have I. Well, don’t you worry sweetheart. If you tell us what we want to know, we’ll let you go, and you can go back to your pathetic little family and pack your things, move on with your life like you talked about. All you have to do, is tell me what you know about the Avengers.” She spat in his face, allowing him to make his way close enough to take an effective shot. Rumlow wiped the saliva from his cheek, a dark scowl forming over his face that – although she didn’t show it – chilled (y/n) to her very core.  
“Very well, my dear, if you insist, lets do this the fun way.” He walked back to the table, pulling a knife from its surface and turning back to her. Things were about to get more complicated.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been two weeks since the heartfelt reunion between Steve and Bucky, and since then, the whole team had been searching desperately to find (y/n) and bring her home to them. They had started where (y/n) had helped Bucky escape, where she had been captured, but the base had been completely cleared out and wiped long before they had arrived. They had gone out on three rescue missions, following leads that they were almost certain was their missing teammate, but each trail had gone cold upon their arrival.

Steve was sitting in his room, pouring over papers and leads that could have even the slightest relevance to (y/n). He hadn’t slept that night, or the night before, only leaving to get some food before taking the meal to his room to resume his search.  
Bucky knocked briefly before opening the door to see his best friend reading a  file on their known HYDRA bases, his eyelids drooping and shadows under his eyes. The ex-assassin sighed before clearing his throat to get Steve’s attention.  
“Oh, hey Buck. I didn’t even hear you knock. What up? Anything new?” Bucky grimaced at the tired tone of the Captain’s voice, regretting that he had volunteered to bring this news to him. “Yeah, Steve, uh, we got something.” Steve’s eyes lit up the these words, but the shine disappeared just as quickly when he saw his best friend’s expression.  
“We’ve um- we’ve received a live stream request from (y/n)’s computer. They’re about to ring us, to discuss the terms of them handing her back over to us.”

Steve bolted up from the bed, sprinting out the door and down to the main debriefing room. When he reached the door, the call had just started to come through, the dull old fashioned ring tone setting everyone’s nerves on edge. Tony accepted the call, and a low growl erupted from Steve’s throat as Rumlow’s face covered the screen.

“Avengers! So nice of you to accept the call. I have someone here who’s been waiting to see you all. You could say, she’s been  _dying_  to hear from you.”

The camera shifted, turning to move around Rumlow and focus on a beaten and battered form slumped over in a metal chair, breathing heavy and (h/l) hair hanging around their face. Rumlow entered the picture, approaching the figure and hooking a finger under their chin, tilting their head up to reveal their face. Wanda let out a sharp, distress-filled gasp, Natasha’s back stiffened, Clint, Sam, Rhodey and Tony growled. Bucky let out a soft, disbelieving “no”. Steve, his eyes widened and became glassy with tears he refused to let fall as he looked upon the beautiful face of (y/n) (l/n). She had cuts adorning her delicate (s/c) skin, bruises on her arms and face, and her outfit was torn to near shreds, singular threads being the only thing holding the material together and keeping her semi-decent. Looking at the screen in front of her, her eyes widened as she saw her friends staring back at her. She turned her gaze to Rumlow, who was still far too close for any of the Avengers’ comfort, least of all Steve.

“You promised Brock! You promised that you would leave them out of this! Turn that off!” Steve’s heart broke at her words. She had obviously agreed to some kind of torture in order to keep them all safe, to keep their whereabouts secret.  
“I was growing bored of that deal darling,” Rumlow taunted, “so I decided we should show your precious team what you’ve endured these past two weeks. Make sure they know  _just how much_  they mean to you. Did you realise, Avengers? How much she loves you all that she would endure so much pain for you. Even you Captain, and if I’m not mistaken, you’re not exactly the nicest person when it concerns this lovely young lady, are you?”

“What do you want Rumlow?” Bucky growled out, low and dangerous in his tone. (Y/n) had believed in him more than once, on the Helicarrier when they had first met and she had opened his mind to the fact that he was fighting his best friend, and again when she had helped him escape, which was the whole reason she was in this mess displayed to him.

“Ah, the Soldier. How’s the freedom? Worth it I hope.”  
“Answer the question, wax-face.” Clint piped up, saving Bucky the overwhelming guilt he was no doubt feeling.  
“I just wanted to show you part of the new routine our darling (y/n) has become accustomed to over these last weeks. It’s quite the training regiment, I’m sure you’ll appreciate it Captain.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed as Rumlow finally left (y/n)’s side, only to return to the shot moments later with a syringe filled with a strange glowing blue liquid. Bruce inhaled sharply through his nose, catching the HYDRA commander’s attention. “Ah, I see Doctor Banner recognised this particular chemical brew. For those of you who don’t know what this is, we at HYDRA like to call it Fire-Ice. When injected into the blood stream, it creates the sensation of being encased in burning ice. This particular dosage doesn’t kill you, but oh boy does it have a nice sting to it.”

With those words, he injected the needle into the neck of a now weakly struggling (y/n), forcing the Avengers to watch as she tensed up; her breathing becoming laboured and small grunts escaping her. Her hands clenched into fists, and her back hunched forward. This result wasn’t enough for Rumlow, so he decided to fan the – almost literal – flames.  
“Come on my dear, let them hear you struggle. Let them hear those delicious screams you were letting out yesterday. Let them hear what your love for them has gotten you.”

Unable to conceal them any longer, (y/n) let out a cry of pain, her screams ripping at the hearts of every Avenger. Wanda buried her face into Vision’s chest, unable to bear watching the girl she had come to see as a big sister suffering the way she was. The rest of the team had turned away, Natasha covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. She had experienced the Fire-Ice concoction when she was in the Red Room, building up a near-immunity to the serum, but the memories of the countless hours of pain she had suffered began to bubble to the surface, making her heart hurt all the more. Bucky was furious, ready to kill Brock Rumlow with his bare hand, and not the metal one, but had to focus more of keeping a firm hold on his best friend who had sprung forward towards the screen, a feral sound ripping from his throat as he watched the girl he cared about being torn apart from the inside. Rumlow laughed from beside the camera, the picture suddenly cutting out, but the screams still ringing through everyone’s heads. Steve had all but collapsed in Bucky’s arms, sobs shaking his frame as the picture burned into his mind. Bucky pulled him out of the room after instructing FRIDAY to finish tracing the call like he had her do from the moment they picked up.

He dragged Steve to the living room of his floor, setting him on the couch and going to get his friend a glass of water.  
“We’ll get her back Steve, don’t worry. FRIDAY is tracing the call as we speak, knowing Rumlow he’s forgotten to turn off the computer. We’ll go bring her home, and she’ll be back in your arms by the end of the day.” “That’s the thing Buck, she was never in my arms to begin with. I let my pride and the fact that I’m this team’s leader get in the way, and the result I got was pushing her so far away she currently suffering for me when I don’t deserve anything from her.” Suddenly the glass was flung from his hand as he threw it at the wall. The resounding shatter was like a trigger for Steve, starting a fit of rage as he spoke, throwing things around his floor, shattering the near priceless artefacts Tony has furnished the area with. He paused as he picked up something familiar, a small glass figurine of an easel and paintbrush. Looking at the small sculpture, he calmed slightly, recounting the story behind it.  
“She gave this to me, on my birthday. Her first year in the Tower, we had been getting along okay, but she had gone on a mission the day before and wouldn’t be back till the following week. When I woke up that morning, I got birthday wishes from everyone and the typical Captain America merchandise, a little practical joke between everyone on the team. I didn’t get anything from her from the team, and I didn’t really expect anything, but when I went back up to my room, I found a small box of my coffee table. On it was a card, from her, wishing me a Happy Birthday and thanking me for being so welcoming while she got used to living with us all. When I saw this in the box, I just kinda knew she was something special, but then a week later she came home on a gurney in need of an immediate operation. She had gotten so hurt because she couldn’t use her powers quick enough, and so I got harsher with her. I didn’t want that to ever happen to her again, least of all because of me.”  
Steve buried his head in his hands, running them over his face. “Buck, some of the last things I said to her were that she didn’t belong with us, and that she should’ve started packing straight away and leave. I pushed her too far and without realising it, I pushed right into harm’s way.”

Bucky sat beside Steve, wrapping a comforting arm around his friend and giving him a firm side-hug squeeze. “You can make all that better punk. We’re going to get her, so suit up and get your Captain America pain in the ass persona going so we can kill those bastards for laying a hand on her.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the fight was over, Steve was already halfway to the cell (y/n) was being kept in. They hadn’t encountered Rumlow yet, but Steve had a pretty good guess where he was hiding, and couldn’t wait to get his hands on him. Or rather, his shield followed by Bucky’s metal arm and Natasha’s gun.

When he got to the door, it was already wide open, almost welcoming him to come in. He approached cautiously, but the idea of being careful was thrown out the window when he saw Rumlow standing there, holding a near unconscious (y/n) around her middle, keeping her upright and infuriatingly close to his body. A gun was held to her head, daring the Captain to take one wrong step.  
“I wouldn’t come much closer if I were you Captain. You won’t like what will happen if you do.” Steve froze in his steps, reluctantly putting down his shield and lifting his arms above his head as he was restrained by two agents. They pulled his hands behind his back and pushed him forwards, forcing him to his knees as Rumlow knelt to his level, still holding (y/n) close. Her eyes fluttered open at the movement, widening as she saw the man in front of her. “Steve? W-What? No, n-no Steve you-you have to get outta here. Fight back, get out of here now!”  
“Shut up!” Rumlow growled, jerking her slightly, her weak frame flinging forward then back, her head falling backwards against the man’s shoulder. Steve struggled against his captors, trying to get to (y/n) again. She was right in front of him, mere inches, but he couldn’t break free. “(Y/n), use your powers, c’mon, you can do this. Stay awake.”  
“She won’t be using those powers of hers, m’boy. You see, we injected her with a serum that weakens her powers to the point that if she tries to use them, it could kill her. It wears off of course, but at the moment she has enough running through her system for a good week at least. I honestly don’t think she has that long though, do you?”

Rumlow dropped (y/n), letting her fall to the floor like a ragdoll on her side, provoking a growl to come from a now viciously struggling Steve. Just as Rumlow lifted the gun to Steve’s head, a shot rang through the room, the (technically) older male falling to the ground with a bullet embedded in his head. A pair of sickening cracks followed, the men holding Steve falling to the floor with clearly broken necks. Steve rushed to (y/n), lifting her head gently and placing it on his lap as Bucky moved forward to check her wounds and Clint called for backup and a med team. (Y/n)’s eyes fluttered once more, turning her head up to look at Steve, a small smile gracing her dry, broken lips.

“Hey Rogers. Took you long enough huh? What? The seventy year-long nap wasn’t enough for ya?” Steve laughed through his tears, cradling her delicate body close. “Sorry (n/n), but you’re impossible to find. It’s like looking in a ‘Where’s Waldo?’ book.” She let out a breathy laugh. “(N/n)? I haven’t heard you call me that since before your birthday the first year I was in the Tower. I’ve missed hearing you say it.” She blinked slowly, wanting to process the last words she wanted Steve to hear from her. “Steve, I love you. I know I haven’t shown it over the last few years, but I really do. Ever since that day you took me out on your bike to show me the sights of New York. You seemed to know exactly what I wanted to see; a show, Times Square, and ice skating in the park. I just wanted to let you know, and that I didn’t mean anything I said to you out of hatred. I let myself believe that it would be easier to act like I hated you, than to love you but have you… hate… me…” her voice drifted off as the fatigue took over her, her eyes fluttering closed and prompting Steve to give her a shake, tears streaming down his face.  
“I love you too (y/n). Okay, you hear me babygirl? I love you. I never meant any of the things I said either. I would never want to hurt you. Baby, I need you to keep your eyes open for me. C’mon (n/n), just stay awake a little longer till we can get you to help. They’ll make you all better. Stay awake, stay with me doll, I need you.” Steve kissed her cheeks, brushing hair from her face. “C’mon sweetheart, I need you; your stubbornness, y-your sarcasm a-and, to hear your angelic voice belting out Disney and Show Tunes through the Tower for everyone to enjoy. Can-can you do that for me? Keep your eyes open doll, they’re almost here. Hold on (y/n).” She nodded her head slightly, signalling she was hearing him, but fading and struggling to fight much longer.

The medical team burst through the door, surrounding the couple on the ground and taking (y/n) out of Steve’s embrace. He moved away obediently, watching as they worked on setting up an IV drip and checking for all the damage she had endured.

“Please hold on. Don’t leave us. Don’t leave me.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When (y/n) woke once again, she found herself in a stark white room. Looking around, she found she was in a medical bay, most likely the Tower. She pushed herself up, before feeling a foreign pressure on her right hand. She looked down to see a slumbering Steve, his hands wrapped around hers, his breathing even and his hair messy, like he had been running his hands through it incessantly. She smiles softly, reaching her left hand over to stroke his head and slowly rouse him. He blinked, disoriented somewhat, before settling his slightly blurred gaze on the girl beside him, her eyes  _open_ , and a smile on her beautiful face.

“(Y/n), oh thank God! You’re awake!” He surged forward from his seat and crashed his lips to hers, pushing her back against the pillows and inciting a surprised squeak before she relaxed into the kiss. When they broke apart, (y/n) was stunned. “Wow,” she breathed, “and I thought I was just dreaming all those things you said. C’mere.” She shifted across her bed, leaving enough room for him to join her. He crawled on carefully, wrapping him arms around her gently and letting her head fall on to his chest. She shifted slightly and draped her arms across him, snuggling into him, placing one last kiss to his head before slowly falling back asleep. The gentle beat of Steve’s heart beneath her ear soothed her as she slept, letting Steve relax enough to eventually fall asleep himself, his head resting atop hers.

“Took them long enough.” Natasha chuckled from the door, nudging Bucky with her elbow. “Who would’ve thought it’d take all this to finally make them see what they had?” Bucky shrugged, “Steve’s always known. The punk’s just too stubborn to let his feeling overtake his mind.”  
They watched as the couple slept on, happy that they could now be happy. (Y/n) would need some time to heal, and both of them would be getting nightmares for months, but they knew, as long as they had each other, everything would be fine.


End file.
